Fine-needle aspiration cytology of spindle cell lesions of the breast.

1Department of Pathology, New York University Medical Center, New York, New York 10016, USA.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNA) has been successful in diagnosing epithelial lesions of the breast. Its role in the evaluation of spindle cell and mesenchymal lesions of the breast, which include a variety of benign and malignant conditions, is less clear. This article discusses the cytologic features and differential diagnosis of these lesions, as well as the potential diagnostic pitfalls associated with them.

METHODS:

FNAs of the breast, in which a spindle cell or mesenchymal component was a key or dominant feature, were retrieved. Fibroadenomas without cellular stroma and typical lipomas were excluded.

CONCLUSIONS:

Breast lesions with a significant spindle cell or mesenchymal component are rarely encountered in FNA and constitute a heterogeneous group that may pose a diagnostic dilemma. FNA should be the initial diagnostic procedure for investigating these lesions, as a specific diagnosis was rendered in the majority of cases. Cancer (Cancer Cytopathol)